San Ramon Teen Recognized As Top Science Scholar

SAN RAMON, CA — Janice Yang, 17, student of Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon was one of 300 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search for her research on creating a machine learning method to predict a breast cancer patient's response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and survival from axillary lymph node MRIs without progression of the disease, according to the press release.

Yang and her school will receive $2,000 each, according to a press release about the search. This March she will have the opportunity to travel for free to Washington, D.C. and compete with finalists for more than $1.8 million in awards.

Yang was one of 1,993 applicants across 49 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and eight countries to the Regeneron Talent Search, the press release said. The search is open to high school seniors submitting original research in STEM-related areas.

“These young students will be the key to unlocking solutions to many of our world’s most pressing challenges," Maya Ajmera, talent search alum and President and CEO of Society for Science & the Public, said in the press release.

Yang was one of two Tri-Valley residents who made the list of finalists. Amador Valley High School student Jeffrey Wisoff, 17, was named a finalist for his research on skull-to-brain impact dynamics to improve bicycle helmet design.

See the full list of finalists here.